Solving Embedded Software Testing Challenges

December 05, 2024

Blog

I’ve spent years supporting organizations that develop embedded software for industries like automotive, aerospace, industrial, rail, and medical devices. In these industries, even a minor software flaw can lead to catastrophic outcomes.

The companies in these industries manage complex C and C++ codebases, requiring rigorous testing to meet stringent regulatory and compliance standards such as ISO 26262, DO-178C, and IEC 62304. Achieving compliance or certification involves comprehensive testing, which includes verification and validation methods like static analysis, unit testing, code coverage, requirements traceability, and detailed compliance reports.

Test Automation Challenges in Embedded Industries

Organizations in safety and security in critical industries face challenges such as budget constraints and the need for efficient resource utilization. As a result, they often invest in multiple test automation tools to cover various aspects of the testing process. The aim is to do more with less by integrating various testing capabilities into a single, scalable package.

Agile methodologies like DevOps promise to be cost-effective solutions, but as companies adopt modern CI/CD workflows, they often encounter difficulties in integrating legacy testing tools tied to specific integrated development environments (IDEs) or with limited command-line APIs and automation capabilities. This lack of seamless integration slows down the development and testing process, hampering the effectiveness of their CI pipelines, ultimately affecting productivity and time to market.

Additionally, large development teams need testing solutions that scale effectively across multiple environments. Traditional tools may lack the flexibility to adapt to different frameworks or handle large-scale automation, leading to bottlenecks and inefficiencies.

Inconsistent testing practices can also exacerbate verification and validation challenges, leading to undetected defects that might result in product recalls or safety incidents. Consistency in testing is crucial to ensure every line of code is verified according to rigorous standards.

The Need for Integrated Testing Solutions

Despite the wide range of software testing solutions available from vendors, test automation challenges persist. Even when new, more advanced tools become available, the inertia of established processes and the perceived cost and effort of migration can prevent companies from adopting them.

Some testing solutions are designed to work best within a specific vendor's ecosystem or platform, creating a situation where companies become dependent on that vendor for all their testing needs. This vendor lock-in can limit flexibility, making it difficult for companies to adopt new technologies, workflows, or requirements. It also increases the long-term cost and risk associated with relying on a single vendor for critical testing functions.

Figure 2: Vendor Lock-In

Some testing tools offer CI/CD integration, but many aren’t designed with modern CI/CD workflows in mind. These tools may be cumbersome to automate, lack CLI capabilities, and require manual intervention, which makes it difficult to achieve the level of automation that modern development practices demand. As a result, teams struggle to fully integrate these tools into their CI pipelines, leading to slower feedback loops and inconsistent testing.

Some tools are rigid, offering limited support for popular open source frameworks like GoogleTest or custom solutions. This lack of flexibility makes it difficult for large teams to scale their testing processes across different projects and environments. Additionally, many tools are not optimized for large-scale automation, leading to performance bottlenecks when used in enterprise environments.

Also, meeting regulatory standards in safety- and security-critical industries requires detailed compliance reporting and traceability, which many existing tools fail to provide seamlessly. Companies often rely on manual processes or use additional tools to fill these gaps, increasing the risk of human error and noncompliance.

These issues are not due to a lack of tools. Rather, existing tools often do not offer a comprehensive, integrated approach for modern, large-scale software development. What’s needed is a scalable and automated testing solution that integrates seamlessly with CI/CD workflows, supports a wide range of testing frameworks, and delivers robust compliance reporting, all while being cost-effective and avoiding vendor lock-in.

Adaptable Test Automation

This year introduced a software test automation solution unlike traditional testing tools. Consider the plug-and-play concept to gather the jest of the evolutionary shift within your CI/CD deployment pipeline.

Unlike traditional testing tools confined to specific IDEs or GUIs, this C and C++ software development solution integrates smoothly into desktop environments and CI/CD workflows, eliminating the need for IDE dependencies. It supports containerized development and extends to popular code editors. By integrating with open source unit testing frameworks like GoogleTest, Boost.Test, CppUnit, and custom or home-grown solutions, it adapts to your development ecosystem's needs.

 

Figure 3: C/C++test CT - Code Coverage Integration Into CI Pipeline

The solution seamlessly integrates code coverage, requirements traceability, and compliance reporting into existing CI/CD workflows as optional add-ons. These features are compatible with open source frameworks like GoogleTest or in-house testing solutions, offering remarkable adaptability. By eliminating vendor lock-in, it integrates effortlessly with any testing framework and CI pipeline, aiding in the fulfillment of verification and validation requirements for functional safety standards.

Additionally, this solution targets teams developing safety- and security-critical C and C++ applications. It’s TÜV SÜD-certified for use in safety-critical application development, satisfying stringent regulatory and compliance requirements to functional safety standards.

Conclusion

As software development processes evolve, so must the tools and practices that support them. Parasoft C/C++test CT (continuous testing) exemplifies this evolution by offering a solution that aligns fully with modern CI/CD workflows. Its IDE independence, lightweight design, comprehensive CLI API, and seamless integration with popular CI platforms like GitHub, GitLab, Azure DevOps, and Jenkins make it an ideal choice for teams looking to optimize their testing processes.

This isn’t just another testing solution. It’s a strategic asset that drives efficiency and quality across the development life cycle. By enabling seamless integration into CI pipelines, it reduces the time and cost associated with compliance and dynamic analysis, accelerates time to market, and improves overall product quality. As more companies adopt CI/CD workflows, the deployment of solutions like adaptable test automation will become more than a best practice. They’ll become an industry standard.